Anyone on the East side of Nashville may have passed by the mural of Cory Branan’s mug and the words "Listen to Cory Branan" floating right above. If that is not enough to turn some ears on to his cache of rapid-fire and heartrendingly candid Americana, maybe the title track of his brand new album will. "No Hit Wonder" not only expounds on the hardscrabble struggle of, well, probably anyone walking around East Nashville, but also also has The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn and Steve Selvidge lending background vocals. The strain of living is a constant throughout the album, but it’s articulated with deft lyricism and transmitted via Branan’s marvelously warm and unmistakable vocals. Another theme is the outpouring of love from the Nashville music community in the form of contributions from Jason Isbell, Austin Lucas, Caitlin Rose and Tim Easton. If that’s not enough to get someone to listen to Cory Branan, his album release show at The High Watt this Saturday (tickets avaiable here) should convert any laggers. It promises to be a doozie: Branan will be accompanied with a full band and "very special guests." And if, after all this, someone still decides not to listen to Cory Branan, The Deli poses this question: what the hell are you doing in Nashville? -Terra James-Jura
Seriously, listen to Cory Branan.